Despite being the sovereign of the United Kingdom, King Charles III has been overtaken by another royal family when it comes to land ownership in London.
Fresh data from a GB News report suggests that the British monarch’s personal hold over the capital is significantly smaller than that of another reigning dynasty.
What Charles Still Controls
This shift doesn’t mean King Charles has lost any of his iconic residences. Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, St James’s Palace, Hampton Court Palace, and the Tower of London all remain under the authority of the Crown Estate.
These properties are not privately owned by the King but are held by the sovereign in trust for the nation.
The Quiet Rise of Another Monarchy
Over the years, another royal household has been quietly amassing a vast property empire in London—surpassing the British Royal Family’s presence. That family is none other than the House of Al-Thani, the ruling dynasty of Qatar.
Unlike the Crown Estate, the Qatari royal family’s London properties are entirely private assets. With an estimated collective wealth of £2.4 billion, their holdings are worth a staggering sum. The family’s leader, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, alone is estimated to be worth £1.6 billion.
Reports indicate that most of the Al-Thani family’s residences are concentrated in northwest Mayfair, an area so heavily associated with them that property insiders have nicknamed it “Little Doha.”
A quarter of this exclusive neighborhood is now said to be owned by the Qatari royals, including the UK’s most expensive private residence. This 44,000-square-foot mansion was valued at £400 million a decade ago, according to Vanity Fair.
The late Queen Elizabeth is even said to have quipped that it made Buckingham Palace “look rather dull” by comparison.
An Expansive London Empire
The family’s 1.8 million square feet of real estate holdings also include some of the city’s most prestigious hotels: The Berkeley, Claridge’s, The Connaught, and The Emory. Their portfolio extends to major landmarks like The Shard, a co-ownership of Canary Wharf, and a 20 percent stake in Heathrow Airport.
Not a bad set of keys to hold in the capital.